Ever since the Internet has spread like wildfire in China, people have become famous through the Internet, sometimes unintentionally. In Chinese netizen-speak, this is known as being “red” (more of a reference to fire or vibrance than the usual Communist connotation) which can be translated as being “hot,” or maybe “the rage.” Now that 2009 is coming to an end (also the year where the number of Internet users in China has surpassed the US population), there are various tallies on who the “hottest” Internet celebrities are. It doesn’t seem there has been any sort of official vote yet, but there seems to be a general consensus among all the forums and websites who the “red” people are. I chose 11 that seem to appear in all the lists and show the variety. If you want to see the original Chinese sites, check out this and this.

The point of this post is not to necessarily be an official ranking, but to give you an idea of the grassroots nature of how Internet fame is manifest in China, the disproportionate emphasis placed on pretty girls, and the seemingly complete randomness of who becomes “red.”

» » » » Continue reading ‘The hottest people on the internet in China in 2009′

Tanghulu (冰糖葫芦): A snack food popular in Northern China that is made from sugar coated hawthorns, yam or other fruit skewered on a bamboo stick; similar to candied apples, also 糖葫芦.

Xi Shi (西施) was one of the renowned Four Beauties of ancient China. She was said to have lived near the end of the Spring and Autumn Period in Zuni, the capital of the ancient state of Yue.

Xi Shi’s beauty was said to be so extreme that while leaning over a balcony to look at the fish in the pond, the fish were so dazzled that they forgot to swim and gradually sunk to the bottom of the pond, birds would forget to fly and fall from the sky, the moon would fade from embarrassment, and flowers would close their petals in shame of being compared to her.

Xi Shi is now a term used to describe beautiful women.

An Internet phenomenon occurring in China is anybody can become famous or infamous overnight. And sometimes for no reason other than just being who they are. Ok, a lot of them were actually hyped up for for unknown reasons by people behind the scenes, usually for personal gains. Still, every now and then, ordinary people become the talk of the nation overnight.

» » » » Continue reading ‘“Candied hawthorn beauty” made popular on the Chinese Internet’